Incredibly large jet-powered coaxial RC helicopter

This is a huge, very nice, jet powered RC scale model of the Russian KA-32a coaxial helicopter being expertly flown at the Tokoroa Airfield in February 2015.
Filmed with Sony PJV760 camera with an additional 10x optical zoom lens.

[@BenGovett]

Every now and then you see something that reminds you of what this hobby is all about. Beautiful to watch.

[@odderanswer]

At the 1993 Farnborough Air Show I was lucky enough to be given a one to one 90 minute tour of the Ka-50 by Dr Sergei Mikheev the head of the Kamov design bureau. Only 2 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union this was a rather disorientating experience! He was clearly a great enthusiast of the co-axial contra-rotating main rotor system. The main advantages which he cited over the conventional single rotor/tail rotor configuration was more efficient use of engine power, manoeuverability and stability when hovering. Additionally, lack of a tail rotor allows a shorter airframe which is better for flying in confined spaces. What a spectacular model.

[@randyporter3491]

That's a beautiful machine ! I personally thought the camera work was great. I'm afraid to even speculate how much is invested here, but it's amazing !

[@Atka59]

Nifty camera work!! That helicopter looks and flies very scale. A really beautiful model, someone who just popped in would be forgiven for thinking it was the real thing on video, I should think.

[@skysurfer5333]

In The Air, It Certainly Looks Lifesize, & Good Realistic Flying! No Crazy, Outrageous Aerobatics!

[@Ginogizio]

I don't understand the 11 guys who pointed the thumb down, this is the most perfect reproduction I've ever seen in my life. The KA32 is also my preferred helicopter. Great job really! Sooo many congratulations

[@InTheDogHouse3DPrinting]

I bet it was an absolute nightmare setting up the linkages for the main blades. No tail rotors, just rudders. Nice setup, and awesome job of flying her.

[@fredtedstedman]

Wonderfull model ! Play on 50% speed , looks absolutely real . Got to be the best heli out there . Wales UK

[@atomicskull6405]

If you're wondering how it does yaw it's by differential collective between the upper and lower rotor disk, the aircraft turns in the opposite direction of the rotor that has more collective. On the ones I've seen there's a spider controlled by a servo that modifies the collective of the upper rotor and this is electronically mixed with the collective pitch of the two swashplates which work like a swash on a single rotor heli except there's a second one above the lower disk that mirrors the lower one (the lower swash has 6 balls on the lower ring with 3 links connected to the cyclic servos and three links going up between the blade grips to the second swashplate. I had to stare at it for a while to get my brain wrapped around how it works. The upper swash is connected to mixing arms on the "yaw spider" assembly (I'm not sure what it's actually called) which are connected to the upper blade grips. By moving the spider up and down the collective of the upper rotor is mixed with input from rudder servo and then the collective is electronically mixed with the rudder servo output to keep the combined collective pitch of both rotor disks constant so if you add more pitch to one an equal amount is subtracted from the other and the lift of the rotor system remains unchanged.

[@Xerpocalypse_]

What an incredible model! I've always loved coaxial helis. It would be awesome to see a KA-50 model of that size.

[@palletcolorato]

Excellent! Just a tip on videography: Keeping the background in the field of view as much as possible to enhance depth of view.

[@xjet]

Yeah... I did when shooting but because I was using such a lot of zoom I had to add some stabilization in post-edit which meant quite a bit of cropping took place ;-(

[@MisterPokeylope]

***** I was going to comment on the amount of zoom as well, because I think it's boring to just see the model without visual context. ;)

[@espeescotty]

Amazing looking model and flying skill! If I didn't read "R/C model" and didn't see the people on the ground, I would've thought it was a flight demo of a real KA-32a.

[@MacCharly30]

Superbe boulot, les réglages n'ont pas du être faciles. Magnifique machine, très originale pour le coup et un pilotage exemplaire. Bravo!!!

[@dezent]

I love to see a beutiful scale heli with a skilled pilot. Most scale flyers have awesome machines but spend most time doing tail in hovers or crappy stall turns at best, this is very good flying.

[@BMSWEB]

One very big bird!!!

[@KarlAlfredRoemer]

Früher fand ich Koaxial Hubschrauber furchtbar unästhetisch. Aber je klarer mir die konzeptionellen Vorteile werden, umso schöner werden diese Helis in meinen Augen. Dieses Modell hier ist darüber hinaus auch noch hervorragend gebaut und auch sehr realistisch vorgeflogen. Toll! Alle Daumen hoch!

[@Hoverbot1TV]

Incredible vid capture of an unreal RC model.

[@litlredd4195]

My Hamster told me that this was the most fun he has ever had!

[@agentbertram4769]

Excellent. You'd never know the difference.

[@BrettW]

That's awesome. Wish it made more of a helicopter sound though. Seems like a jet is flying by..

[@yes-dq8lm]

the company "EMA" on the helicopter is from my contry portugal and is written " ministry of internal administration" in portuguese. i've passed near the company head quarters it's HUGE

[@whitehedr]

Outstanding model, outstanding flight. 👍👍

[@roxtonfone3510]

Give an Oscar to whoever is handling the camera. Nice Work! :)

[@VideoSack]

Beautiful camera work and what a craft! Got me to wondering, just how efficient is a coaxial going through the air? Do they offer greater lift which for a rescue craft would be welcome? Stability? Obviously no tail rotor is needed, are there other examples of full scale coaxials today?

[@dieselrotor]

VERY Impressive reproduction ! Well done.

[@DickGibson]

Far out fantastic chopper Well flown Thanks a big bunch Bruce

[@johnm8016]

Great video Bruce, keep 'em coming. What a craft to be in control of, it must be great to fly like that and with a machine such as that. Why do people keep complaining, they want more of this or that but they don't get off their asses and do some themselves. Keep strong Bruce.

[@adrianusseto1737]

Amazingly real.. out of this world.. Amazing effort to come up with a model like that, what a dedication. Thanks for sharing the video

[@brisbrett]

Well engineered piece of machinery. Thankyou for posting the video.

[@hhobegginernew]

That's definitely the Portuguese firefighter's paint scheme. The Portuguese base in center region where these boys "sleep" is 300m from where I am right now :)

[@Rotorhead99]

What an amazing machine. You have to admire the dedication required to build it. As has been said great camera work.

[@berniekoussoulos7432]

I,m not normally a hello man but this bad boy got a 100% out of. Me. .It,s a piece of engineering that,s for sure. who ever built it full marks very well done.

[@carlwelch5944]

I must say an impressive helicopter!!! I would have loved to see the mechanicals and transmission lay out just to see how they engineered it

[@daxdadog]

Beautiful model, well flown. Thanks for sharing it with us.

[@blackmennewstyle]

Wow! That was simply amazing! What a such beautiful aircraft! Why we don't have beautiful models like that in the coaxial selection from most of the hobbyshops lol I don't know the name of the pilot and probably also the builder, but just one million of thumbs up for him! Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend

[@scottpurdy8799]

www.heliclassics.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=53&Itemid=201&lang=en Flown by the builder from Germany

[@blackmennewstyle]

Scott Purdy Sweet, thank you :) Have a great week

[@zhouzhang9102]

Utterly amazing!

[@FalkoRichter]

Thx for this video. I did not know such a heli existed.

[@keithwhisman]

Excellent camera work, best I can do is with what came with my iPhone and my helis after much video cropping become visible yet still tiny.

[@inekemateman273]

It looks so real!

[@ricovali9245]

Well flown. Not a fan of crazy aerobatics i see lately with rc helicopters now.

[@Intrepid175a]

Would LOVE to see how the control systems are setup and operate on this thing.

[@flyingcatsofthesalishsea.]

Wow!!! nice model..thanks for the upload....wow....

[@yves2348]

Can it winch ? Would be nice, not necessary though. It's a realy marvelous model !

[@echampine]

Very cool. Loved the video. Thanks.

[@srwilliams1963]

Nice video, very unique model. I enjoy seeing something different.

[@teamscreem]

Absolutely beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

[@MADelectriCITY]

I didn't think a coaxial could move that fast!

[@rueagonvyceratops2879]

Now this coaxle rc look great flying in the air , i just wish the coaxles i used to have in the past, had better foward speed. and not such a slow speed going foward.

[@stol41]

Very nice model, very well flown and good filmed. Congratulations! These coaxial helicopters are more efficient and easier to fly than conventional ones with tail rotor. They can maybe be compared to those with intermeshing rotors (Kmax, originally conceived by Flettner).

[@AviationNZ]

Wow nice!! Smooth steering and great sound! It looks very stable, despite the short tail and without a tail rotor.

[@AviationNZ]

Nice camera work, by the way, Bruce!

[@xjet]

AviationNLNZ Thanks... 25x zoom for a lot of it and hand-held from a distance. The CEO of the council told me I had to stop filming because "commercial activities are not permitted on the airfield when it is closed". Harrasment? You bet! When I asked him to cite the rule, regulation or bylaw that stated this, he couldn't. That's the crap I have to put up with here from certain people within the council bureaucracy. He has a lawsuit on his hands now.

[@AviationNZ]

***** LOL Since when is this a commercial activity? They seriously haven't got anything better to do, have they? It's really sad that the council ruins the fun every time.

[@peldridg9]

***** Ummm Bruce, I thought you would be hiding in your bunker due to these dangerous turbine powered aircraft... ;o)

[@xjet]

peldridg9 No, I'm used to dodging crashing jets -- it's become such a commonplace event when MFNZ members are on the field.

[@jb4688]

Pretty darn impressive...thanks for sharing!

[@flymario8046]

That camera is epic.

[@kailashpatirai]

Wau....really nice rc helicopter and video too

[@str8inPilot]

Bruce, as always, I love your work. I would love to know more about building or obtaining a working RC Coaxial rotor set-up. I'm also always very impressed with you camera work. I've done some videoing of my brother's helicopters and I can appreciate your skill in tracking the subject in flight with a high power zoom lens.

[@dacasman]

That thing looks like a real full sized helicopter in the air.

[@dieterandrew3542]

How much does that beast weigh?? My 800 size Hind would be dwarfed!

[@ChongMcBong]

wow, that thing is beastly, thanks Bruce :)

[@WarblesOnALot]

G'day Bruce, YAY TEAM...! Juicy footage, of a lovely Model. Did you ever hear that Vladimir I. Lennin once said, "The only thing more Decadent than a Person flying in an Aeroplane, is a Person flying in a Helicopter..!" ? One wonders what he might've said at the sight of a Twin Turboshaft R/C Model Heligocopteroid, levitating for the Fun of it...? ;-p Ciao !

[@deiancosas]

Great camera-work!

[@rifted]

Will it FPV? lol Thanks for sharing Bruce! really nice bird! the sound is just fantastic!

[@danielrodriguez248]

Beautiful

[@iscluiscaduk]

Nice flying machine.

[@SaToMojo]

Niiiice Heli , my Airwolf 600 ESP feels kinda shy besides this beauty beast. I wish their would be more people into Scale Helis.

[@andyankers6384]

Fantastic Machine :)

[@DavidTelesPortugal]

Wait that is the exact replica of one firemen helicopter from Portugal. Its is in portuguese and the naming code of the helicopters here are the CS-HMP and CS-HMK like the one on the video. If you don't beleive it put kamov santa comba dao on google and see the photos

[@l8ur1e]

Yes, it's a Russian helicopter but the Portuguese and many others have them. They're often used for firefighting as they can winch up a bucket that can hold 5000 litres of water. The lack of a tail rotor makes them able to work in very confined spaces and hover very precisely.

[@KraziIvan]

l8ur1e Close, lack of the tail rotor made them easier to store on naval ships and the coaxial rotor setup makes them beasts for lifting power.

[@MrRescue100]

David Teles Exact! this is our Portuguese civil proteccion autority Kamov KA-32 (HESA- Helicóptero de salvamento e assistência - Rescue and assistance helicopter) used in forest firefighting, i work in the field in combined firefighting operations with this machine, and its a beauty see him live dropping water a authentic beast. :)

[@jcims]

Wow, that's a labor of love right there. If i saw the real thing right beside it i'd still somehow be more impressed with the model...haha.

[@buddymartin71]

I need some helicopters like that.

[@GoodspeedsReviews]

I love this one! It looks easy to fly

[@trigas55]

AWESOME!

[@pokies100]

I did no see you there. Nice lens effect.

[@NollieFlipX]

How many channels does it needs? where I could find the rotor mechanism? or is it all made specifically for it? D=

[@fergusonhr]

To David Teles, the number on the tail on the real one you pointed out is 1 not 2, also the number and letter sequence on the door is completely different...that other lettering that matches must mean something else...

[@devezasmatos]

Actually there's 6 of this model in service in Portugal. This is almost an exact replica of the number 2, the only difference is, on the real one the name is "CS-HMN" and on RC one is "CS-HMK". Take a look at this address: www.bps.pt/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/kamov_2.jpg

[@brunoantonio3305]

EMA? Ministério da Administração Interna! WOW Portugal :)

[@Ian-Hall]

Very Impressive.

[@johnosmers4374]

Very nice.👍

[@pepeledog]

Awesome!!!

[@GibbonFPV]

Wow that thing is cool! :D

[@foxrace0985]

Very cool. When I first saw it, I thought it was really dumb to spend all that money on a turbine, making it scale and then ruining it by making it co-axial.. Since most beginner helis are designed that way I just thought he had a beginner heli with a very expensive turbine in it.. Then I googled it and found out that they actually made a full scale heli with co-axial props..

[@shaquedelilicss7849]

Where do you even get a kit for such a thing?

[@billgr024848]

Very impressive...was that just one flight?

[@n8twj]

Let me get this straight, you aren't allowed to fly a 2 pound foamy, but those beasts are allowed to fly and possibly kill anyone in the vicinity with just one simple mistake, miscalculation or system malfunction...

[@xjet]

You are correct. I can not fly my 38g ladybird quad over my own workshop but on several occasions I've seen "barely in control" jets flying over all the hangars at high speed and with an almost-full fuel load. At this airfield however, it's not what you do but who you are that counts when it comes to the rules that are made and the rules that are enforced.

[@BreatheRC]

great video though bruce thanks

[@oscarzt1652]

with what kind of radio control system does he pilot this?! you can't exactly use a spektrum dx8 or FrSky taranis on something like this can you? would it use 2.4GHz radio or 35MHz?

[@oscarzt1652]

would it use a normal receiver like frsky v8fr?

[@scottpurdy8799]

Its a Futaba 18mz tx with dual 7008sb rx flown by the builder who flew down from Germany for the event

[@magnummesiona72]

NICE TOY

[@flymario8046]

I wonder how you would deal with engine out on this type of configuration. AutoRotation doesn't seem very likely.

[@oscarzt1652]

even though it has two engines?

[@flymario8046]

Oh. Didn't realize there were actually two engines. :)

[@scottpurdy8799]

FlyMario Theres only a single turbine

[@lrcarv1971]

The livery is a replica of a Portuguese fire fighter helicopter. Do you know why the owner chose this livery ?

[@blackout19]

So this is the Syma S108 right?

[@spocktra50]

Rather impressive that :)

[@K5_BlaZer]

Is this the new Durafly? I can't seem to find it on HK's web site. :)

[@peldridg9]

Its in the very expensive section of the HK website ;o)

[@unacceptableminority7101]

Expertly flown ... amateur filmed ... P.S. filming wasn't that bad just zoom out a bit. props on keeping it in frame.

[@robsycko]

what no specks ?? you know a little infoe mate would be nice

[@KevinMillard68]

nice

[@JakeBullit123]

Reminds me of the TT sub

[@Roverflyover]

Can I share this vídeo ?

[@peterestrada9420]

Sensational🤙😉

[@Ouch.]

Wow!

[@zero00tolerance]

Hello Bruce do you think this monster can lift a man ?

[@giantman]

Sweet juice!

[@AndyClayton]

So these are people who can fly at the airfield and have also formed some sort of club?

[@tedenz8690]

Yes any MFNZ member can fly there or there invited guest

[@AndyClayton]

Tede NZ so I'm guessing any of them are not too fond of the timp idea? It would break up their club?

[@tedenz8690]

AndyClayton NZ model flyers are not worried about TIMP. A model park failed to work in the UK with far more people to offer the park to. Plus $40,000 in pledges means absoutley nothing. Try going and getting a mortgage at a bank. When you tell them you have $40,000 in pledges for the depoist do you think they will give you there money. I think not

[@peldridg9]

Tede NZ Provided they have a Wings badge...

[@tedenz8690]

peldridg9 Sort of correct. If you dont have a wings badge then you must be under the direct supervision of a current wings badge holder

[@BreatheRC]

coaxial ? when he has practised a bit he could save up and get a collective pitch heli like the pro's :)

[@BreatheRC]

***** i was only joking its a fantastic model i didnt know they did coaxial full scale ?

[@Yonex333]

***** I seen then flying often here in Portugal in the summer season. What a fantastic russian machines! Coaxial means more complex rotor design, but ground safer, more authority in windy situations, more reliable, and increased payload.